Although Lavinia became famous as a “human oddity,” Raum keeps the tale focused on her lively attitude and determination to...
Born in 1841 to white parents of relatively tall stature, Mercy Lavinia Bump—later known as Lavinia Warren—was, at the age of 10, just 2 feet tall and weighed only 20 pounds.
Although Lavinia initially taught school when she reached the age of 16, a river showboat operator persuaded her to join his troupe as a “living curiosity.” The onset of the Civil War soon put an end to that kind of entertainment. Later, P.T. Barnum convinced her to join his New York City museum, where she attracted large admiring audiences. While working for Barnum, she met another little person, Charley Stratton, who toured as “Tom Thumb.” Charley and Lavinia married just months later and toured through most of the rest of their lives, enjoying the unique experiences that their travels offered. Numerous period illustrations accompany the interesting story. Although the interleaved inclusion of some historical (occasionally oversimplified) information helps keep Lavinia’s life grounded in the context of the period, a text box introducing Massachusetts governor John Albion Andrew and his commissioning of the black 54th Massachusetts Regiment seems to have no connection to the story, serving as an instructive but unnecessary interruption. Excellent backmatter rounds out this engaging tale of an unusual and spirited woman.
Although Lavinia became famous as a “human oddity,” Raum keeps the tale focused on her lively attitude and determination to use her exceptional size to achieve a stimulating life. (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-912777-50-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
A tragic, gripping, and inspiring story.
In 1979, 11-year-old Norman was the only survivor of a plane crash in Southern California: This is his true story.
This book for middle-grade readers, co-authored with Kiely, covers much of the same material as Ollestad’s 2009 memoir for adults, Crazy for the Storm. Flying in a four-seater Cessna with his father, his father’s girlfriend, Sandra, and the pilot, Norman was excited to reach Big Bear to receive his ski-racing trophy. (As a vivid example of his busy childhood, they’d driven the 300 miles there yesterday for Norman to compete—and then driven back to Topanga Canyon in the evening for his hockey game.) But the plane tragically crashed on a mountain in a blizzard. Nothing is sugarcoated; readers encounter graphic descriptions of the pilot and Norman’s dad, who died, and Sandra, who suffered a gaping head wound. Eventually accepting that he had to figure things out on his own, Norman drew upon the extreme training his father had put his “Boy Wonder” through—training that had bullied Norman into facing difficult physical and mental challenges that he feared and resented. During his trek to safety, Norman performed incredible mental and physical feats and encouraged the barely functioning Sandra—until she fell to her death. Norman’s conflicted feelings about the father he’d both idolized and resented are nuanced and satisfyingly resolved. Readers who enjoy nail-biting wilderness stories will be riveted.
A tragic, gripping, and inspiring story. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780374392611
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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